Network asset management

ABSTRACT

Embodiments include a load calculator, a workload analyzer, and a decision module. The load calculator generates an input/output (IO) record for an asset. The IO record includes a count of read operations and write operations corresponding to the asset from each of a plurality of sites. The workload analyzer collects the IO record and generates at least one of a write threshold and a read threshold. The decision module generates a request for at least one of a promotion and a copy of the asset in response to a determination that an operation has reached at least one of the write threshold and the read threshold for the asset.

FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to network storage and moreparticularly relates to asset management in network storage.

BACKGROUND

An abundance of data is created and used individually and by groups suchas companies and businesses. Server-based storage networks are onesolution to providing flexible and efficient storage for a wide varietyof applications. One such storage network is a server storage areanetwork (or server SAN). A server SAN is a network which can incorporateone or more commodity servers with storage devices such as hard disks,tapes, solid-state drives, etc. attached to the servers. A server SANmay include software to allow a remote server, user terminal, or otherdevice to access the server's devices through an operating system (OS)which can present the devices as if they were locally attached storagedevices even if they are remote to the accessing device. Server SANs canbe further incorporated with other storage systems and access systems toprovide additional features and functionality.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A network asset management system is disclosed. The system includes aload calculator, a workload analyzer, and a decision module. The loadcalculator generates an input/output (IO) record for an asset. The IOrecord includes a count of read operations and write operationscorresponding to the asset from each of a plurality of sites. Theworkload analyzer collects the IO record and generates at least one of awrite threshold and a read threshold. The decision module generates arequest for at least one of a promotion and a copy of the asset inresponse to a determination that an operation has reached at least oneof the write threshold and the read threshold for the asset.

A method is also disclosed. The method includes tracking a number ofread operations for an asset independently from a number of writeoperations for the asset. The read operations and write operations forthe asset originate from each of a plurality of sites. The method alsoincludes generating a request in response to a determination that atleast one of the number of read operations and the number of writeoperations tracked for the asset from at least one of the plurality ofservers exceeds a corresponding threshold. The method also includesexecuting the request on the asset.

A computer program product for providing network asset management isalso disclosed. The computer program product includes a computerreadable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith.The program instructions readable/executable by a processor to cause theprocessor to track a number of read operations for an assetindependently from a number of write operations for the asset. The readoperations and write operations for the asset originate from each of aplurality of sites. The program instructions readable/executable by theprocessor are further to generate a request in response to adetermination that at least one of the number of read operations and thenumber of write operations tracked for the asset from at least one ofthe plurality of servers exceeds a corresponding threshold. The programinstructions readable/executable by the processor are further to executethe request on the asset.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the embodiments of the invention will bereadily understood, a more particular description of the embodimentsbriefly described above will be rendered by reference to specificembodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understandingthat these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not thereforeto be considered to be limiting of scope, the embodiments will bedescribed and explained with additional specificity and detail throughthe use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a computersystem which is applicable to implement the embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a plurality ofsites in a server storage area network in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a table illustrating one embodiment of an input/output (I/O)record in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of pluralityof sites in a server storage area network in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating another embodiment of an I/O record inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of a pluralityof sites in a server storage area network in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of a pluralityof sites in a server storage area network in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment ofa method in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases“in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughoutthis specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the sameembodiment, but mean “one or more but not all embodiments” unlessexpressly specified otherwise. The terms “including,” “comprising,”“having,” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of itemsdoes not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusiveand/or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. Theterms “a,” “an,” and “the” also refer to “one or more” unless expresslyspecified otherwise.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofthe embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. One skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practicedwithout one or more of the specific features or advantages of aparticular embodiment. In other instances, additional features andadvantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not bepresent in all embodiments.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (“RAM”), aread-only memory (“ROM”), an erasable programmable read-only memory(“EPROM” or Flash memory), a static random access memory (“SRAM”), aportable compact disc read-only memory (“CD-ROM”), a digital versatiledisk (“DVD”), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encodeddevice such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove havinginstructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of theforegoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not tobe construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves orother freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic wavespropagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., lightpulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signalstransmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages.

The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, forexample, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays(FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computerreadable program instructions by utilizing state information of thecomputer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computeror other programmable apparatus or device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Many of the functional units described in this specification have beenlabeled as modules to emphasize their implementation independence. Forexample, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprisingcustom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors suchas logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module mayalso be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as fieldprogrammable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logicdevices or the like.

Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by varioustypes of processors. An identified module of program instructions may,for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks ofcomputer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as anobject, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of anidentified module need not be physically located together, but maycomprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which,when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve thestated purpose for the module.

The computer program product may be deployed by manually loadingdirectly in the client, server, and proxy computers via loading acomputer readable storage medium such as a CD, DVD, etc., the computerprogram product may be automatically or semi-automatically deployed intoa computer system by sending the computer program product to a centralserver or a group of central servers. The computer program product isthen downloaded into the client computers that will execute the computerprogram product. Alternatively, the computer program product is sentdirectly to the client system via e-mail. The computer program productis then either detached to a directory or loaded into a directory by abutton on the e-mail that executes a program that detaches the computerprogram product into a directory. Another alternative is to send thecomputer program product directly to a directory on the client computerhard drive. When there are proxy servers, the process will, select theproxy server code, determine on which computers to place the proxyservers' code, transmit the proxy server code, then install the proxyserver code on the proxy computer. The computer program product will betransmitted to the proxy server and then it will be stored on the proxyserver.

The computer program product, in one embodiment, may be shared,simultaneously serving multiple customers in a flexible, automatedfashion. The computer program product may be standardized, requiringlittle customization and scalable, providing capacity on demand in apay-as-you-go model.

The computer program product may be stored on a shared file systemaccessible from one or more servers. The computer program product may beexecuted via transactions that contain data and server processingrequests that use Central Processor Unit (CPU) units on the accessedserver. CPU units may be units of time such as minutes, seconds, hourson the central processor of the server. Additionally, the accessedserver may make requests of other servers that require CPU units. CPUunits are an example that represents but one measurement of use. Othermeasurements of use include but are not limited to network bandwidth,memory usage, storage usage, packet transfers, complete transactionsetc.

When multiple customers use the same computer program product via sharedexecution, transactions are differentiated by the parameters included inthe transactions which identify the unique customer and the type ofservice for that customer. All of the CPU units and other measurementsof use that are used for the services for each customer are recorded.When the number of transactions to any one server reaches a number thatbegins to affect the performance of that server, other servers areaccessed to increase the capacity and to share the workload. Likewise,when other measurements of use such as network bandwidth, memory usage,storage usage, etc. approach a capacity so as to affect performance,additional network bandwidth, memory usage, storage etc. are added toshare the workload.

The measurements of use used for each service and customer are sent to acollecting server that sums the measurements of use for each customerfor each service that was processed anywhere in the network of serversthat provide the shared execution of the computer program product. Thesummed measurements of use units are periodically multiplied by unitcosts and the resulting total computer program product service costs arealternatively sent to the customer and or indicated on a web siteaccessed by the customer which then remits payment to the serviceprovider.

In one embodiment, the service provider requests payment directly from acustomer account at a banking or financial institution. In anotherembodiment, if the service provider is also a customer of the customerthat uses the computer program product, the payment owed to the serviceprovider is reconciled to the payment owed by the service provider tominimize the transfer of payments.

The computer program product may be integrated into a client, server,and network environment by providing for the computer program product tocoexist with applications, operating systems and network operatingsystems software and then installing the computer program product on theclients and servers in the environment where the computer programproduct will function.

In one embodiment software is identified on the clients and serversincluding the network operating system where the computer programproduct will be deployed that are required by the computer programproduct or that work in conjunction with the computer program product.This includes the network operating system that is software thatenhances a basic operating system by adding networking features.

In one embodiment, software applications and version numbers areidentified and compared to the list of software applications and versionnumbers that have been tested to work with the computer program product.Those software applications that are missing or that do not match thecorrect version will be upgraded with the correct version numbers.Program instructions that pass parameters from the computer programproduct to the software applications will be checked to ensure theparameter lists match the parameter lists required by the computerprogram product. Conversely parameters passed by the softwareapplications to the computer program product will be checked to ensurethe parameters match the parameters required by the computer programproduct. The client and server operating systems including the networkoperating systems will be identified and compared to the list ofoperating systems, version numbers and network software that have beentested to work with the computer program product. Those operatingsystems, version numbers and network software that do not match the listof tested operating systems and version numbers will be upgraded on theclients and servers to the required level.

In response to determining that the software where the computer programproduct is to be deployed, is at the correct version level that has beentested to work with the computer program product, the integration iscompleted by installing the computer program product on the clients andservers.

The computer program product, in one embodiment, may be deployed,accessed, and executed using a virtual private network (VPN), which isany combination of technologies that can be used to secure a connectionthrough an otherwise unsecured or untrusted network. The use of VPNs isto improve security and for reduced operational costs. The VPN makes useof a public network, usually the Internet, to connect remote sites orusers together. Instead of using a dedicated, real-world connection suchas leased line, the VPN uses “virtual” connections routed through theInternet from the company's private network to the remote site oremployee. Access to the software via a VPN can be provided as a serviceby specifically constructing the VPN for purposes of delivery orexecution of the computer program product (i.e. the software resideselsewhere) wherein the lifetime of the VPN is limited to a given periodof time or a given number of deployments based on an amount paid.

The computer program product may be deployed, accessed, and executedthrough either a remote-access or a site-to-site VPN. When using theremote-access VPNs the computer program product is deployed, accessed,and executed via the secure, encrypted connections between a company'sprivate network and remote users through a third-party service provider.The enterprise service provider (ESP) sets up a network access server(NAS) and provides the remote users with desktop client software fortheir computers. The telecommuters can then dial a toll-free number orattach directly via a cable or DSL modem to reach the NAS and use theirVPN client software to access the corporate network and to access,download and execute the computer program product.

When using the site-to-site VPN, the computer program product isdeployed, accessed, and executed through the use of dedicated equipmentand large-scale encryption that are used to connect a company's multiplefixed sites over a public network such as the Internet.

The computer program product is transported over the VPN via tunnelingwhich is the process of placing an entire packet within another packetand sending it over a network. The protocol of the outer packet isunderstood by the network and both points, called tunnel interfaces,where the packet enters and exits the network.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics ofthe embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the followingdescription, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples ofprogramming, software modules, user selections, network transactions,database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardwarecircuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding ofembodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however,that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. Inother instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are notshown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of anembodiment.

The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements ofproceeding figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures,including alternate embodiments of like elements.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary computer system/server 12 which is applicableto implement the embodiments of the present disclosure. Computersystem/server 12 is only illustrative and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of thedisclosure described herein.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 is shown in the form of ageneral-purpose computing device. The components of computersystem/server 12 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 thatcouples various system components including system memory 28 toprocessor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a storage media (not shown and typicallycalled a “drive”).

Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writingto a removable, non-volatile solid state drive, magnetic disk (e.g., a“floppy disk”), and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing toa removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, orother optical media can be provided. In such instances, each can beconnected to bus 18 by one or more data media interfaces. As will befurther depicted and described below, memory 28 may include at least oneprogram product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modulesthat are configured to carry out the functions of embodiments of thedisclosure.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data, orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the disclosure as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via input/output(I/O) interfaces 22.

Still yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one or morenetworks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network(WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates with the othercomponents of computer system/server 12 via bus 18. While not shown,other hardware and/or software components could be used in conjunctionwith computer system/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limitedto: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external diskdrive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storagesystems, etc.

In one embodiment, the computer system/server 12 is part of or is incommunication with a network such as a server storage area network(server SAN). Communication with other devices, apparatuses, or systemson the network may be handled by the I/O interfaces 22 or the networkadapter 20. In some embodiments, the computer system/server 12 includesvarious modules, described in greater detail below, to manage one ormore assets stored on the network. In some embodiments, the computersystem/server 12 requests to read or write to an asset stored on theserver SAN. In other embodiments, the computer system/server 12independently or in conjunction with other systems or devices, tracksoperations on a stored asset, creates thresholds for operationscorresponding to the asset, generates requests for management of theasset, analyzes requests for the asset, and/or executes requests tomanage the asset on the network. Fewer or more than these functions andother functions may be accomplished wholly or in part by the computersystem/server 12.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a plurality ofsites 202, 204, and 206 in a server storage area network 200 (serverSAN) in accordance with the present invention. In some embodiments, theplurality of sites 202, 204, and 206 are asset storage sites. In theillustrated embodiment, the first site 202 includes a host 208, a firststorage volume 210 and a second storage volume 212.

In some embodiments, host 208 (host A) includes one or more servers. Forexample, host A 208 may include one or more of a computer system/server12 of FIG. 1 described above. In other embodiments, purpose-built,special purpose, general purpose, or multi-function servers or othersystems are incorporated into host A 208. In some embodiments, host A208 is geographically associated with or near the first storage volume210 and the second storage volume 212. For example, host A 208 may belocated within the same building or facility as the first and secondstorage volumes 210 and 212.

In other embodiments, host A 208 is located at a separate location fromthe first and second storage volumes 210 and 212. For example, host A208 may be located at a central server location, away from the first andsecond storage volumes 210 and 212, but is associated with the first andsecond storage volumes 210 and 212 through assignment, network priority,connection/access speed, or other characteristics or specificassociations.

In some embodiments, the first storage volume 210 includes at least aportion of one or more storage devices. In one embodiment, the firststorage volume 210 includes at least a portion of a solid-state drive.In another embodiment, the first storage volume 210 includes at least aportion of one or more hard disk drives, solid-state drives, tapedrives, or other permanent or rewritable storage devices.

In some embodiments, the first storage volume 210 makes up at least aportion of a first or higher performance storage location or tier whilethe second storage volume 212 makes up at least a portion of a second orlower performance storage location or tier. In some embodiments, thesecond storage volume 212 is a lower performance storage location inrelation to the first storage volume 210 of the first site 202 orrelative to other storage volumes on other sites. Similarly, in someembodiments, the first storage volume 210 is a higher performancestorage location relative to the second storage volume 212 on the firstsite 202 or relative to other storage volumes on other sites.

In some embodiments, the performance of a storage volume (i.e. firststorage volume 210 or second storage volume 212) is based on speed ofreading and/or writing operations. In other embodiments, the performanceis based upon cost to carry out the operation. In another embodiment,the performance of each storage volume is based upon one or more otherqualities of the volume. For example, the first storage volume 210 maybe one or more solid-state drives with relatively faster read/writespeeds while the second storage volume 212 may be one or more hard diskdrives with relatively slower read/write speeds. In another embodiment,the second storage volume 212 includes a solid-state drive that isslower than a solid-state drive of the first storage volume 210.

In the illustrated embodiment, an asset 214 is stored to the secondstorage volume 212. As described above, some embodiments of the secondstorage volume 212 include a hard disk drive or other type of storagedevice having a relatively lower performance. The asset 214 is accessedfor operations by host A 208 of the first site 202, host B 216 of thesecond site 204, and host C 222 of the third site 206. In someembodiments, the operations include reading and writing operations.Other embodiments include other operations requested or executed withrespect to the asset 214.

In some embodiments, the asset 214 is the target of read, write, orother requests from host B 216 and host C 222 because no availablecopies of the asset exist on the second site 204 and the third site 206or because asset 214 on the second storage volume 212 is the onlyinstance of the asset 214 that is available or has associatedpermissions for the operation (open for writing, reading, etc.).

In some embodiments, more traffic associated with the asset 214 comesfrom one host than comes from another. If that high traffic host is notthe local host (host A 208 for asset 214 in the illustrated embodiment)but is a remote host, facilitating the remote traffic may result in apenalty or resource cost to the network 200 that may be higher than isacceptable. Identifying high cost traffic situations such as this canenable solutions described below to reduce the costs for the network200. As described below with reference to FIG. 3, in some embodiments,the traffic at the asset is tracked to manage a storage location of theasset 214 to reduce the penalty or cost to the network 200.

FIG. 3 is a table illustrating one embodiment of an input/output (I/O)record 300 in accordance with the present invention. In the illustratedembodiment, the traffic for the asset is separated by each accessinghost and includes separate counts for read operations and writeoperations from the corresponding host. Additionally, the illustratedembodiment of the record 300 includes information describing therelationship (local/remote) of each host relative to the asset.

Correlating the information in the record 300 to the network 200illustrated in FIG. 2, it can be seen that host A 208 is local to theasset 214 (on the same site 202). In the record 300, host A 208 hasthirty read counts and zero write counts for the asset 214.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, host B 216 is located at thesecond site 204 for which the embodiment of FIG. 3 lists host B 216 asremote to the asset 214. In the illustrated embodiment of the record300, host B 216 has two-hundred reads and ten writes recorded. Host C222 is located at the third site 206 which is also remote to the asset214 which is stored at the first site 202. The illustrated embodiment ofthe record 300 indicates that host C 222 has one-hundred fifty readoperations counted and fifteen write operations.

In one embodiment, the record 300 is generated by a load calculator(described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7). In someembodiments, the load calculator generates the record 300 and operateson one or more servers, systems, or devices of a host local to thestorage location of the asset. Regarding FIG. 2, in one embodiment, therecord 300 is generated by one or more servers or devices of the host A208 as the host A 208 is local to the present storage location (secondstorage volume 212) of the asset 214. In other embodiments, the record300 is generated by a resource located outside of the host A 208 oracross multiple resources on the host A 208 and/or other hosts orlocations. For example, the record 300 may be generated by a centralrecording system. Other embodiments include other recording systems andarrangements.

In some embodiments, a threshold is established based on the severalvalues included in the record 300. In some embodiments, the threshold isgenerated based on the values of multiple records for multiple assets.

In some embodiments, the threshold includes separate read and writethresholds. Some embodiments of the threshold establish acceptable upperlimits for read operations and write operations. In some embodiments,the thresholds are specific to a particular asset. In other embodiments,the thresholds are applied to more than one asset across one or morestorage locations.

While embodiments discussed herein relate to upper limits for traffic atan asset (hot asset), other embodiments also handle management of assetswith traffic falling below a lower threshold (cold assets) to moreefficiently allocate network resources.

For example, the read threshold for the asset 214 may be set atone-hundred while the write threshold is set at fifty. As such, in theillustrated embodiment of the record 300, both the remote hosts, host B216 and host C 222, exceed the read threshold of one-hundred while thelocal host, host A 208, does not. None of the hosts exceeds the writethreshold of fifty.

In some embodiments, in response to a determination that the readoperations have reached or exceeded the read threshold, a request forpromotion or copy of the asset 214 occurs. If the request is approved,the promotion or copy is completed.

In the illustrated embodiment of the record 300, both host B 216 andhost C 222 have exceeded the read threshold. In some embodiments,because it is the read threshold that has been exceeded and not thewrite threshold, a copy request is generated. In some embodiments, aremote host penalty is applied which provides a preference to localhosts over remote hosts to account for the network resource cost ofmoving the asset 214 from the current host to a remote host.

In the illustrated embodiment, upon approval (discussed in more detailbelow in relation to FIG. 7), the asset 214 is copied from the secondstorage volume 212 of the first site 202. As shown in FIG. 4, the asset214 is copied from the second storage volume 212 of the first site 202to the higher performance storage volume 218 of the second site 204 andthe higher performance storage volume 224 of the third site 206.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of pluralityof sites 202, 204, and 206 in a server storage area network inaccordance with the present invention. In some embodiments, the originalcopy of the asset 214 on the second storage volume 212 of the first site202 is then removed.

In some embodiments, if the host A 208 of the first site 202 has asufficient read operation count, the copy on the first site 202 is leftin place and other copies are made at the other sites 204 and 206 or thecopy on the first site 202 is promoted to the first storage volume 210and other copies are made at the higher or lower performance storagelocation of the other sites 204 and 206. Other situations andcopy/promotion arrangements are contemplated.

In the illustrated embodiment, the thirty read operations of host A 208of the first site on the asset 214, as shown on the record 300 of FIG.3, is not sufficient to justify keeping a copy of the asset 214 on thefirst site 202. Subsequently, further operations by host A 208, afterthe copy request is completed, are directed to the copy of the asset 214residing on the higher performance storage volume 214 of the second site204. In other embodiments, the operations by host A 208 are directed tothe copy of the asset 214 on the third site 206.

In some embodiments, subsequent operations by host A 208 on the asset214 are randomly or alternatingly directed to both the copy of the asset214 at the second site 204 and the copy of the asset 214 at the thirdsite 206. In other embodiments, the operations from host A 208 aredirected to either the second site 204 or the third site 206 based oncurrent network traffic and/or resource availability. Some embodimentsprovide other access patterns or rules to allow the host A 208 to accessthe asset 214.

In the illustrated embodiment, host B 216 and host C 222 both haveaccess to corresponding local copies of the asset 214. In someembodiments, this reduces network traffic, improves the time required tocarry out the operations, or improves other aspects of networkefficiency.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the copies of the asset 214have been stored to the second site 204 and the third site 206 at thecorresponding higher performance storage volumes 218 and 224. In someembodiments, the asset 214 is stored to the higher performance storagelocations in response to the read operations exceeding the threshold bya certain percentage, number, or other metric. In other embodiments, theasset 214 is stored to the higher performance storage locations inresponse to the read operations exceeding the threshold within atimeframe or at a certain rate.

In some embodiments, the asset 214 is stored to the higher performancestorage locations in response to a trend in the number of operationscorresponding to the asset 214. For example, the trend may predict thatthe number of operations on the asset 214 will continue to increase andthe move to the higher performance storage locations provides anadvantage to the network over the lower performance storage locationsbased on the predicted number of operations.

In some embodiments, the asset 214 is stored to the higher performancestorage volume 218 of the second site 204 and the lower performancestorage volume 226 of the third site 206. Other storage arrangements maybe selected based on the number of operations from each host or site,the performance metrics of each storage volume at each site, or othervariables or characteristics.

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating another embodiment of an I/O record 500in accordance with the present invention. In the illustrated embodimentsand following description of FIGS. 5 and 6, assume that the readthreshold is one-hundred reads and the write threshold is fifty writes.In the illustrated embodiment, the read counts of the hosts 208, 216,and 222 do not pass the read threshold but the write count of host A 208and the write count of host C 206 both exceed the write threshold offifty write operations. The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 5 is furtherrelated and described in conjunction with FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of a pluralityof sites 202, 204, and 206 in a server storage area network 200 inaccordance with the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment,while the number of operations for the asset 214 from host C 222 ishigher (one-hundred ten) than the number of operation for the asset 214from host A 208 (one-hundred), with a network penalty applied, host A isthe preferred host because host A 208 is local to the previous storagelocation of the asset 214 (shown and described in FIG. 2) and host C 222is a remote host.

In some embodiments, the network penalty (or remote host penalty) is apercentage penalty applied to the operation counts. For example, thenetwork penalty may be a 15% penalty. A 15% penalty to the count forhost C 222 on the record 500 may result in a penalized count of 93.5which is less than the count for host A 208. In other embodiments,different penalty types or manners of applying different penalties areincorporated.

In some embodiments, the penalty is applied before determining if thenumber of operations exceeds the corresponding threshold. In otherembodiments, the penalty is applied in situations in which both localand remote hosts are determined to have exceeded the threshold. In otherwords, some embodiments apply the network penalty as a conflictresolution, tie-breaker, or ranking criterion after the hosts have beendetermined to have exceeded the threshold.

In the illustrated embodiment, a promotion request is generated inresponse to a determination that one or more hosts have exceeded thewrite threshold. In some embodiments, upon approval of the promotionrequest, the asset 214 is copied from the lower performance secondstorage volume 212 to the higher performance first storage volume 210and the copy at the second storage volume 212 is deleted. In someembodiments, the associated mapping for the asset is updated. In someembodiments, only one copy of the asset is maintained to preserve datacontinuity during the frequent write operations.

In some embodiments, if both the read operations count and the writeoperations count exceed the corresponding thresholds, a promotionrequest is generated to avoid data consistency issues. Other embodimentsinclude other strategies for handling read counts and write counts thatexceed the corresponding thresholds.

As described above, some embodiments of the first storage volume 210include a solid-state drive having read and/or write times faster thanthat of the second storage volume 212 which includes a hard disk driveor other device which has a performance aspect lesser than that of thefirst storage volume 210. In other embodiments, the first storage volume210 includes any drive or storage device or volume having a read orwrite time faster than that of the second storage volume 212.

In some embodiments, after the promotion of the asset 214 from thesecond storage volume 212 to the first storage volume 210, further readoperations for the asset 214 are directed, by the corresponding host tothe asset 214 at the new location. In some embodiments, further writeoperations are saved to the site corresponding to the accessing host andother copies on the same site are deleted to preserve data consistencyat the site. In other embodiments, further write operations are saved tothe site corresponding to the accessing host and all other copies at thesame and other sites are deleted to preserve data consistency across thenetwork.

In some embodiments, previous versions or copies of the asset 214 aredeleted and the mapping updated while in other embodiments, previousversions of the asset 214 are listed as available for overwrite orrewrite and the mapping associated with the asset 214 is updated to thenew storage location.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of a pluralityof sites 702 and 704 in a server storage area network 700 in accordancewith the present invention. The illustrated embodiment includes a firstsite 702 and a second site 704. The first site 702 includes a first host706 and the second site 74 includes a second host 720. In theillustrated embodiment, the first host 706 includes a first server 708,a second server 710, and a third server 712. Similarly, the illustratedembodiment of the second host 720 includes fourth, fifth, and sixthservers 722, 724, and 726, respectively. In some embodiments, the firsthost 706 or second host 720 includes fewer or more servers, systems, ordevices.

The first site 702 also includes a first storage volume 714, a secondstorage volume 716, and a third storage volume 718. The first, second,and third storage volumes 714, 716, and 718 are accessed by the servers708, 710, and 712.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first, second, and thirdservers 708, 710, and 712 includes a load calculator. In one embodiment,the load calculator operates as a unity across the servers 708, 710, and712 of the first site 701. In some embodiments, the load calculatortracks the number of operations for an asset stored one or more of thestorage volumes 714, 716, and 718 of the first site 702.

In the illustrated embodiment, the load calculator of each sitecommunicates with the decision module of the site and the workloadanalyzer communicates across multiple sites 702 and 704. In otherembodiments, more or fewer communication connections exist between thecomponents at each site 702 and 704.

In some embodiments, the load calculator generates an input/output (I/O)record (such as those shown and described in FIGS. 3 and 5) of theoperations corresponding to each asset tracked on the first site 702. Insome embodiments, the record generated by the load calculator is sharedby or stored to each of the servers 708, 710, and 712 of the first site702.

In the illustrated embodiment, the third server 712 includes a workloadanalyzer. In some embodiments, the workload analyzer operates onmultiple sites 702 and 704 as a unity. For example, the workloadanalyzer may be a cluster distributed across the first and second sites702 and 704. In some embodiments, the workload analyzer collects therecord of input/output operations for each asset on each site anddetermines a threshold for each operation. In some embodiments, thethresholds include a write threshold and a read threshold for assets onthe multiple sites 702 and 704.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second server 710 includes a decisionmodule. In some embodiments, the decision module analyses the recordgenerated by the load calculator for each asset and determines whetherthe record for an asset has exceeded the threshold set by the workloadanalyzer. In some embodiments, in response to a determination that anoperation has reached a corresponding threshold, the decision modulesends a request to the workload analyzer requesting a promotion or copyof the asset.

In some embodiments, the workload analyzer reconciles the request fromthe decision module on the first site 702 with one or more requests fromthe decision module of the second site 704. In some embodiments, theworkload analyzer resolves conflicts in the requests. In otherembodiments, the workload analyzer determines priority among therequests received from the corresponding decision modules of the sites702 and 704.

In some embodiments, the workload analyzer determines if a potentialstorage location for the asset has sufficient storage space orprocessing capacity to fulfill the request. In other embodiments, theworkload analyzer resolves a conflict by applying a network penalty (asdescribed above) to a promotion or copy request.

In some embodiments, in response to receipt of an approval sent from theworkload analyzer to the decision module corresponding to the request,the decision module executes the requested promotion and/or copy. Insome embodiments, the decision module updates mapping informationcorresponding to the affected asset after the promotion or copy iscompleted. In some embodiments, the decision module also deletes aprevious version of the asset upon completion of the promotion or copy.

In some embodiments, the requested copy includes copying the asset toanother storage location corresponding to another server or site inresponse to a read count on the record exceeding the threshold set bythe workload analyzer. In some embodiments, the requested promotionincludes promoting the asset from a lower performance storage volume(such as the third storage volume 718) to a higher performance storagevolume (such as the second or first storage volumes 716 or 714) inresponse to a determination that the write threshold set by the workloadanalyzer or both the write threshold and the read threshold set by theworkload analyzer has been exceeded for the asset.

In some embodiments, the asset is copied from a lower performancestorage location on the first site 702 to a higher performance storagelocation on the second site 704 which may be identified as both a copyand a promotion of the asset. In some embodiments, the above copy andpromotion is executed as separate processes. For example, the asset maybe copied from the lower performance storage volume of the first site702 to a lower performance storage volume of the second site 704 andthen separately promoted from the lower performance storage location ofthe second site 704 to a higher performance storage location on thesecond site 704. Other manners of completing a corresponding request arecontemplated.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment ofa method 800 in accordance with the present invention. The method 800includes, at block 802, tracking read operations and write operationsfor an asset. In some embodiments, the number of read operations istracked independently from a number of write operations for the asset.In some embodiments, the number of read operations and the number ofwrite operations correspond to one or more of a plurality of serversassociated with a plurality of sites. The asset may be stored at astorage location on a storage site of the plurality of sites.

In some embodiments, the number of read and write operations for anasset are tracked independently to provide an appropriate response tothe number of read and write operations as different solutions (copy,promote, etc.) may be better for situations of high read counts for anasset while others are better for situations of high write counts for anasset. In some embodiments, the numbers of read and write operations aretracked based on the server performing the various operations, whileother embodiments are tracked based on the site performing the variousoperations.

In some embodiments, the record tracks operations corresponding tomultiple copies of the same asset stored at different locations. Inother embodiments, the record tracks operations corresponding to asingle instance of the asset.

At block 804, the method 800 includes generating a request in responseto the operations exceeding a corresponding threshold. In someembodiments, the request is in response to at least one of adetermination that the number of read operations for the asset from atleast one of the plurality of servers exceeds a read threshold and adetermination that the number of write operation for the asset from atleast one of the plurality of servers exceeds a write threshold.

In some embodiments, the request generated in response to adetermination that the read operations for the asset exceeds the readthreshold includes a request to copy the asset. In other embodiments,the request generated in response to the determination that the readoperations for the asset exceeds the read threshold includes a requestto promote the asset to a higher performance tier storage volume ordevice. In other embodiments, the request includes a request to copy anda request to promote. In some embodiments, the request includes arequest to make multiple copies of the asset and promote at least one ofthe resulting instances of the asset.

At block 806, the method 800 includes executing the request. In someembodiments, executing the request is completed in response to receiptof conflict resolution approval in view of at least one other requestcorresponding to another asset on the plurality of sites. In someembodiments, multiple requests are received which may involve the sameserver, asset, storage volume, or site. In some embodiments, one or moreof the multiple requests may conflict with another of the multiplerequests.

In some embodiments, the conflict resolution approval is reached byprioritizing the multiple requests. In other embodiments, the conflictresolution approval is reached by determining an effect on the resourcesof the plurality of sites. In some embodiments, the conflict resolutionapproval is reached by forecasting network traffic or loads from currentor historical trends. Other factors or criteria may be applied inresolving conflicts between requests.

The embodiments may be practiced in other specific forms. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A network asset management system, comprising: aprocessor configured to execute program instructions, the programinstructions organized into modules comprising: a load calculator thatgenerates an input/output (TO) record for an asset, the IO recordcomprising a count of read operations and write operations correspondingto the asset from each of a plurality of sites; a workload analyzer thatcollects the IO record and generates at least one of a write thresholdand a read threshold; and a decision module that: generates a requestfor promotion of the asset from a current storage location to a newstorage location in response to a determination that a write operationhas reached the write threshold, generates a request for copy of theasset at the new storage location in response to a determination that aread operation has reached the read threshold for the asset, andexecutes at least one of the request for promotion and the request forcopy on the asset, wherein: the request for promotion is different fromthe request for copy, and in response to a determination that the numberof read operations exceeds the corresponding threshold and the number ofwrite operations exceeds the corresponding threshold, the processor isconfigured to: copy the asset to a new asset storage site of theplurality of sites having a number of write operations that exceeds thewrite threshold in response to a determination that the current assetstorage site does not exceed the corresponding threshold, promote theasset to a higher performance storage location within a current assetstorage site in response to a determination that the number of writeoperations for the current asset storage site exceeds the correspondingthreshold and is higher than the number of write operations for the newasset storage site which also exceeds the corresponding threshold with anetwork penalty applied, and copy the asset to the new asset storagesite whose number of write operations exceeds the correspondingthreshold in response to a determination that the number of writeoperations for the current asset storage site exceeds the correspondingthreshold but is less than the number of write operations for the newasset storage site with a network penalty applied.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the workload analyzer further resolves a conflictcreated by the request by determining whether a potential storagelocation identified by the request has sufficient storage space tofulfill the request.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the workloadanalyzer resolves a conflict created by the request by determiningwhether a potential storage location identified by the request hassufficient input/output capacity to fulfill the request.
 4. The systemof claim 1, wherein the workload analyzer comprises a clusterdistributed across the plurality of sites.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the decision module performs the copy in addition to thepromotion of the asset in response to a determination that the readthreshold has been exceeded.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein thedecision module further updates an asset mapping in response toperformance of the at least one of the promotion and copy.
 7. The systemof claim 1, wherein the decision module further deletes a previousversion of the asset in response to performance of the at least one ofthe promotion and copy.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the IO recordcomprises statistics corresponding to read and write requests from oneor more servers associated with one or more of the plurality of sites.9. A method, comprising: tracking a number of read operations for anasset independently from a number of write operations for the asset, theread operations and write operations for the asset originating from eachof a plurality of sites; determining that at least one of the number ofread operations and the number of write operations tracked for the assetfrom at least one of the plurality of sites exceeds a correspondingthreshold; generating a request for promotion of the asset from acurrent storage location to a new storage location in response to thedetermination that a write operation has reached the write threshold;generating a request for copy of the asset at the new storage locationin response to a determination that a read operation has reached theread threshold for the asset; and executing at least one of the requestfor promotion and the request for copy on the asset, wherein: therequest for promotion is different from the request for copy, and inresponse to a determination that the number of read operations exceedsthe corresponding threshold and the number of write operations exceedsthe corresponding threshold, generating requests to: copy the asset to anew asset storage site of the plurality of sites having a number ofwrite operations that exceeds the write threshold in response to adetermination that the current asset storage site does not exceed thecorresponding threshold, promote the asset to a higher performancestorage location within a current asset storage site in response to adetermination that the number of write operations for the current assetstorage site exceeds the corresponding threshold and is higher than thenumber of write operations for the new asset storage site which alsoexceeds the corresponding threshold with a network penalty applied, andcopy the asset to the new asset storage site whose number of writeoperations exceeds the corresponding threshold in response to adetermination that the number of write operations for the current assetstorage site exceeds the corresponding threshold but is less than thenumber of write operations for the new asset storage site with a networkpenalty applied.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising resolvinga conflict associated with the request by determining a higher priorityranking of the request relative to at least one other requestcorresponding to another asset.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinresolving the conflict relates to a capacity of a potential copy storagelocation or promotion storage location.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein a network penalty is applied to account for a characteristic ofa potential copy storage location or promotion storage location for atleast one of the asset and other asset in the comparison.
 13. The methodof claim 9, wherein the request for copy comprises a request to copy theasset to more than one of the plurality of sites having a number oftracked read operations for the asset that exceeds the correspondingthreshold.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the request for copy ofthe asset further comprises a request to promote the asset within acurrent asset storage site of the asset from a lower performance storagelocation to a higher performance storage location in response to adetermination that the higher performance storage location of thecurrent asset storage site can accommodate the asset and the currentasset storage site has a number of read operations for the asset thatexceeds the corresponding threshold, the request to promote comprising arequest to copy the asset to the higher performance storage location anddelete the asset from the lower performance storage location.
 15. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the request for promotion of the assetcomprises a request to promote the asset from a lower performancestorage location of a current asset storage site of the plurality ofsites to a higher performance storage location of the current assetstorage site and delete the asset from the lower performance storagelocation.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein the request for promotionof the asset from a current asset storage site of the asset in theplurality of sites to a new asset storage site of the plurality of sitesin response to a determination that the new asset storage site has anumber of write operations for the asset that exceeds the correspondingthreshold, the request to promote comprising a further request to copythe asset to the new asset storage site and delete the asset from thecurrent asset storage site.
 17. A computer program product for providingnetwork asset management, the computer program product comprising acomputer readable storage medium having program instructions embodiedtherewith, the program instructions readable/executable by a processorto cause the processor to: track, by the processor, a number of readoperations for an asset independently from a number of write operationsfor the asset, the read operations and write operations for the assetoriginating from each of a plurality of sites; determine, by theprocessor, that at least one of the number of read operations and thenumber of write operations tracked for the asset from at least one ofthe plurality of sites exceeds a corresponding threshold; generate, bythe processor, a request for promotion of the asset from a currentstorage location to a new storage location in response to adetermination that a write operation has reached the write threshold;generate, by the processor, a request for copy of the asset at the newstorage location in response to a determination that a read operationhas reached the read threshold for the asset; and execute, by theprocessor, at least one of the request for promotion and the request forcopy on the asset, wherein: the request for promotion is different fromthe request for copy, and in response to a determination that the numberof read operations exceeds the corresponding threshold and the number ofwrite operations exceeds the corresponding threshold, generatingrequests to: copy the asset to a new asset storage site of the pluralityof sites having a number of write operations that exceeds the writethreshold in response to a determination that the current asset storagesite does not exceed the corresponding threshold, promote the asset to ahigher performance storage location within a current asset storage sitein response to a determination that the number of write operations forthe current asset storage site exceeds the corresponding threshold andis higher than the number of write operations for the new asset storagesite which also exceeds the corresponding threshold with a networkpenalty applied, and copy the asset to the new asset storage site whosenumber of write operations exceeds the corresponding threshold inresponse to a determination that the number of write operations for thecurrent asset storage site exceeds the corresponding threshold but isless than the number of write operations for the new asset storage sitewith a network penalty applied.
 18. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the request for copy comprises a request to copy theasset to more than one of the plurality of sites having a number oftracked read operations for the asset that exceeds the correspondingthreshold.
 19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein therequest for promotion comprises a request to promote the asset from thecurrent asset storage site of the asset in the plurality of sites to thenew asset storage site of the plurality of sites in response to adetermination that the new asset storage site has a number of writeoperations for the asset that exceeds the corresponding threshold, therequest to promote further comprising a request to copy the asset to thenew asset storage site and delete the asset from the current assetstorage site.
 20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein therequest for promotion of the asset comprises a request to promote theasset from a lower performance storage location of a current assetstorage site of the plurality of sites to a higher performance storagelocation of the current asset storage site and delete the asset from thelower performance storage location.